Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 12, 1994 TAG: 9404120046
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Add two more names to the growing list of candidates for the basketball coaching job at VMI: Walt Ayers and Bart Bellairs.
Ayers, a former VMI assistant who recently completed his first season as head coach at Bluefield College, was in Lexington on Monday to meet with athletic director Davis Babb and the institute's search committee, sources close to the Keydets' program said. Ayers could not be reached for comment Monday.
Bellairs, a full-time assistant at James Madison the past six years, confirmed Monday that he was interviewed late last week.
Seven candidates are believed to have been brought to Lexington for formal interviews. The others are: Emmett Davis (Navy assistant), Bob Johnson (Emory & Henry coach), Kevin Billerman (North Carolina-Charlotte assistant), Gay Elmore (attorney and former VMI player) and Pete Strickland (Old Dominion assistant).
The position, which came open March 21 when Joe Cantafio departed for Furman, likely will be filled in the next few days. The spring signing period for recruits opens Wednesday.
Bellairs played at Warren Wilson (N.C.) and has been an assistant at Maryland and Massachusetts. He said he had a good feeling about his interview at VMI.
"The job appeals to me because of the opportunity to rebuild," he said. " . . . They have strong alumni support and a strong wish to improve. I'm an enthusiastic person and I think I can do it."
Strickland, an assistant at VMI from 1988-91, interviewed in Lexington on Sunday and also described his meeting as positive.
"If anything, it heightened my interest in the job," Strickland said. "I think I got my views across about what I would do with the program. I also became more keenly aware about the issues they're most concerned with."
VMI is not the only opportunity Strickland is pursuing. The head coaching position at Old Dominion opened last week when Oliver Purnell left for Dayton.
"I'm in line for this [ODU] job, but there's no guarantees," Strickland said. ". . . They've opened it up to a national search. I was hopeful they'd name me right away, but that didn't happen."
Purnell has offered Strickland an assistant position on his staff at Dayton.
"The Dayton job is available for at least a couple weeks," Strickland said. "I would rather stay in this area and not move to Ohio, but that would be a great job also. It's comforting to know that's there for me if I want it."
Ayers, 48, came to Bluefield from Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) College, where he served as an assistant while undergoing treatment for cancer of the colon.
He was hired at Bluefield last year and led the Rambling Rams to an overall record of 11-19 and 6-12 in the NAIA Tennessee-Virginia Athletic Conference.
Ayers, who coached at VMI from 1976-79 under Charlie Schmaus, returned to the institute last November to play the Keydets in the teams' season-opener, which VMI won 97-58.
The Pennsylvania native played at Clemson and has a reputation as being a strong recruiter. He spent two seasons at Clemson as a graduate assistant before becoming the head coach at Franklin County High School for two seasons.
Ayers also has served in the Air Force as a recruiter.
by CNB